Man claims people with iPhones should 'get help' if they spot orange dot on screen

A TikToker freaked out his followers when he shared a recent video warning them to ‘get help’ if they see an orange dot on their iPhone.

“If you see this orange dot on your phone, you need to get help seriously fast,” @mrjamienyland claimed, which left some of his followers panicked. 

One person replied: “I'm getting pretty scared now,” while a second added: “I’m so scared” and a third wrote: “WHAAAATTTT!?!?”

Jamie further explained: “If you see an orange dot like this on top of your iPhone, this means someone is listening to you. It’s been all over the news, and in fact the orange dot is a warning sign from Apple that someone is using your microphone without your permission.”

He went on: “If you have no apps open and this is still there, then someone is spying on your phone and listening to your conversations. So if you see this orange dot, turn your phone off immediately and go and get help.”

However, many of his followers pointed out that the dot doesn’t necessarily mean someone is listening in, it just indicates one of the phone’s apps is using the mic.

“Just means your mic is live, not that someone is listening in,” replied one TikToker.

Another added: “It just means the microphone is in use," while a third said: “It doesn’t mean someone’s listening to you, it means there’s an app using your microphone or was using it recently.”

The naysayers’ claims seem to be backed up by Apple, which has a segment of its website dedicated to explaining why iPhone users might see an orange dot on their screen occasionally.

Apple explained: “An orange indicator means the microphone is being used by an app on your iPhone.”

You might have noticed a little green dot popping up on the top right hand corner of your screen, too.

Apple notes the green dot ‘means either the camera or the camera and the microphone are being used by an app on your iPhone’.

Tyla has approached Apple for comment.

According to Insider, Apple introduced orange and green dots in a bid to protect users’ privacy and encourage apps to be more transparent about the ways they use iPhones. 

The orange and green dots are also interactive - if you swipe down on them the name of the app that’s using your phone’s mic or camera will appear.